In the late 1960s, the United States was engaged in an unpopular and confusing war. The country was divided over race and Vietnam (though Paul Krugman contends that we were less divided by class in the 1950s and 60s than ever before). President Lyndon Johnson’s prosecution of the Vietnam War led to a growing unpopularity in his own party. As the presidential primaries grew near, his staff was surprised by the challenge of Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. A “dump Johnson” insurgency in the Democratic Party derailed any of Johnson’s hopes of reelection.

Today, with my post-election hangover, it occurs to me that my previous piece aimed at Regressives may have been a little harsh (http://www.grindstonejournal.com/11-4-08regressive.html). President-elect Obama is not one to hold a grudge, so I shouldn’t be, either. In the spirit of national unity, I would like to share some ideas of how Democrats can work with Republicans to tackle the big issues facing the country.

Dear regressive-yes you, who obtusely insist on calling yourself a “conservative.” I have been very tolerant and patient, but you have used up my hospitality. I have a few things I’d like to say to you.

Yesterday I decided to see for myself what all the hubbub was about. My daughter and I drove out to Springfield, Missouri to see Barack Obama himself. Since Oklahoma is not a battleground state, presidential candidates rarely come our way. History always seems to pass us by, but the rally in Springfield gave me a chance to snatch a little history for myself.

It’s been a bad week for John McCain. Even when things go right for the country, they expose serious flaws in his ideas. An example of McCain’s misfortune is the recent drop in oil prices. Of course, this helps all Americans keep up with their daily expenses, but the causes of the decline show why “drill baby, drill” is not a sound energy policy.

I read an article in the Urban Tulsa about the United States. The article was written by a fellow liberal. The author spoke really ill of the United States. The things he mentioned were all true, like the millions who died in Vietnam on both sides and the Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who died because of our invasion. He asked if a potential breaking apart of the United States like the former Soviet Union would be a good or bad thing. I think this question is absurd. What I did not like was his failure to acknowledge the good things this country has done, like defeating Fascism and Stalinism. For this country to break apart would mean the end of benevolent power in the world. True, our last eight years have been reckless and destructive in the world, but our last 100 have not.